Whether you want to write micro-budget indie films or Hollywood blockbusters, this course will teach you everything you need to know to create a script that can sell. You’ll start with the fundamentals of stories—why audiences need them, what they expect from them, and what kinds of stories work time after time. Then you’ll learn how to write your own. See how to come up with an idea, how to develop that tiny spark into a story, and finally how to structure it into a screenplay. You will also learn how to create characters audiences will believe and how to write dialogue that will bring them to life. Discover the secrets of constructing scenes that audiences won’t be able to stop watching and how to make every moment of your screenplay count.

Along the way, you’ll get hands-on experience through a series of short writing assignments that will have you working like a pro from the very beginning of the course. Finally, you’ll get an inside look into the business of selling your script and building your career as a writer. Learn about agents and producers, contests and consultants, studios and scam artists. When you finish the course, you’ll be ready to start writing your own script, and you’ll know how to sell it once it’s done!

Learning Objectives:

• Understand where stories come from and how they work, and learn how to apply that knowledge to your own stories.
• Understand the nature of conflict and recognize it as the heart of every story we tell.
• Understand that characters are the embodiment of conflicts, and then learn how to create compelling characters for your own stories.
• Understand the fundamental simplicity of the three-act structure, and then learn how to use it to build your own stories.
• Understand what brings a scene to life, and learn how to turn beats from your outline into vivid, exciting drama.
• Understand how movie dialogue works and find out how to use it to create and explore character.

www.ed2go.com/ksuconed/online-courses/screenwriting-introduction-self-paced?tab=syllabus l" "">View a course syllabus

For our online course refund policy, click here.

Requirements: Internet access (Chrome, Firefox, Edge)and e-mail.

You will need to create a login for your online classroom. Go to www.ed2go.com/ksuconed. Find your course by browsing the catalog or using the search bar. Click the “Add to Cart” button for the ‘Self-Paced’ class. This site does not accept payments – you will not be charged here. Create a Username and Password. Once you pay and add your class at the classroom site, you will be verified to access your class after 5PM on Wednesday. You must make an 80 or higher on the final exam (online) to successfully complete the course. You may only take the exam once.

If you have questions about this course, please contact the online coordinator at 470-578-6693 or at online@kennesaw.edu.